Priti Asar is patiently helping dyslexic children to read and write, says Shyamola Khanna

WHAT do Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Walt Disney and Tom Cruise have in common? Believe it or not — dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a syndrome of many and varied reading and non-reading symptoms such as memory instability for letters, words, numbers or a tendency to skip over or scramble letters, words, and sentences, and a poor reading ability. It's a syndrome affecting millions of children and adults all over the world.

B Or D?
Priti Asar came across this disability in children when she was a Montessori teacher. To understand the problem of dyslexia better, she began to read all about the syndrome and how to overcome it. She realised that dyslexia was not just a severe reading disorder characterised by reversals. It was neither due to brain damage, as was thought for many years. It was a syndrome of varied symptoms.

The more Priti read, the more she discovered. And so, she enrolled herself for a special course at the Alpha to Omega Learning Centre, Chennai, a school for dyslexics. After the training she was declared a ‘remedial teacher’. She returned home to build her new career. Currently, Priti is working with several schools in Hyderabad, including the prestigious Chaitanya Vidyalaya and Oakridge International School.

At these schools, she holds special classes for dyslexics, giving them individual attention. Priti says, ‘’Although dyslexia has been recognised as a ‘disability’ it's not a big disorder. It's a minor problem which definitely needs correction.’’ Such children are usually very talented and their IQ is above average. ‘’They are brilliant at sciences and word processing, but have difficulty in writing some letters of the alphabet such as b, d, p and q. For them, this little thing might seem insurmountable.’’

Guiding Parents
Voicing her concern for dyslexic children, she says, the awareness about the disorder among parents and schools is abysmal. ‘’One reputed school asked parents to withdraw their child because he could not cope with the learning. The stigma is unnecessary.’’

Priti hopes that parents of dyslexic kids accept the problem more readily. They should ease off the pressure of performance from such children. She confirmed that most examination boards recognise the problem and allow such children to write the exam with a scribe's help. Priti has also started taking classes at home now.

‘’This is particularly for those children who go to schools where the problem is not identified, leave alone treated.’’